Rust and Steel, A Sonic the Hedgehog Fanfic
by Eli Goodnight
Summary: A somewhat Dark and gritty view on the Sonic Universe. probably going to be a long story. Includes Metal Sonic, Robotnik, Sonic, Tails, Amy, etc..  Tell me what you think, my first published story. Don't be shy, comment and critique.
1. Chapter 1 Prologue

Prologue

"You've failed me again."

The cold words filtered through the static in Metal sonic's head. He tried to open his eyes, but saw nothing beyond the electric 'snow' displayed by his failing circuits. Something heavy collided with his head. His vision cleared for a instant and a flicker of an image filtered into his processors.

A pair of shoes, boots! He was laying at someones feet. Who?.., he couldn't remember. Red lights fluttered through his vision, blurs of red against the impenetrable snow. He couldn't see the symbols, but knew what they meant. He was shutting down, dying, in a sense. The red lights flashed again, this time more clearly. DANGER! He tried to move, tried to stand, the motors and circuits in his body refusing his commands.

A second heavy thud, and one eye corrected itself. His eye narrowed, fucusing. Metal turned his vision upwards to the dark shape looming down over him. Robotnik!

"DRRrr-Octrrr..." His voice was a sour buzz.

"Hmph, I shouldn't be surprised. you never win against him." Robotnik leaned down and picked his mangled creation up by his throat. He looked at the mess that had once been his pride and scowled. "Hmm, maybe I missed something?" Robotnik examined the wreckage, turning his creation slowly in the air, looking closely at the damaged contraption. "What is it about you Metal?" The doctor asked sadly. He sighed as his eyes scanned his creation. "What minor flaw in your design keeps you from achieving your goal, time and again?"

"D-dOc-TOr.. DDDDd-aaAM-Age.. CRrriiiiitt-ic-CAl" The thing buzzed again.

"Silence, I know you're damaged!" Robotnik threw Metal angrily to the floor. "I don't know if it's worth giving you another chance, or if I should just start over." Robotnik threw his hands up and began pacing back across the ruined floor. The Doctor sighed, letting his anger bleed out of him slowly. Metal sonic was a relic, an obsolete peice of hardware created years ago. He had moved on to bigger and better things since then, But he had never come nearly as close to destroying the annoying blue menace as he had with Metal Sonic. The doctor rubbed a hand across his smooth scalp and grumbled to himself as he fished a hand inside his coat pocket, feeling the marvelous edges of the gem nestled within. "Hmm..." Robotnik felt the warmth of the emerald spreading up his arm. He brought out the gem and held it before his eyes, studying the azure depths of the blue chaos emerald. Just holding it was enough to feel the power nestled within the glittering depths of the flawless crystal.

"Doc-Trr.."

Metal sonic's pathetic buzzing brought Robotnik back to the present. He slowly turned to regard the heap of twisted circuits with cold eyes as he reached his decision. The doctor reached into his pocket with his free hand and produced a small remote. He studied the buttons casually before pressing a small one near the bottom, opening a small panel in the floor, then he unceremoniously nudged Metal over the edge into the black pit, listening as his steel carcass banged against the walls as he fell. Robotnik resumed his study of the chaos emerald, smiling wickedly to himself. Maybe it was time to try something new... yes.

"Bigger and better things..."


	2. Chapter 2 The good old days

Chapter two

_The good old days..._

He felt free...

Wind rushed past him as he sped by, his body slicing through the air like a knife. objects and places, people, mere blurs of color as he blurred past. The world was beautiful, all the colors swirling together and blurring in a kaleidoscope of brilliant light. He had tried to explain it to his friends , to show them. He tried painting it once, tails liked it, Knuckles just said it looked like a mess. And always there was the thundering sound of the wind drowning out the world in a triumphant roar. It was his escape, how he could get away from the troubles around him, when he could really clear his mind and focus on nothing. It was a unique feeling, something he couldn't quite describe to people when they asked him.

"What's it like, when you run that fast? what do you see?"

All he could ever say to them was that, "It feels like,... freedom." Moments like this were getting rare these days. Sonic skidded to a halt, his shoes squealing against the concrete floor of Tails' workshop. The blue blur turned to look out at the scattered heaps of junk and twisted metal covering the landscape before the hanger door lowered behind him, leaving him in absolute darkness while the halogen lights hummed slowly to life. Sonic sighed as the door slammed shut, wishing he could just run forever, like the good old days. He hefted the sack over his shoulder and his features hardened into a look of determinaition. The good old days were over, things had changed so much since then.

Sonic looked up as the lights finally came to life, illuminating the dark room. Shelves lined the walls of the room, covered in hundreds of tools laying neatly organized. The hedgehog frowned as his eyes settled on the plane dominating the hanger.

The Tornado!

Tails' beloved plane sat, it's vibrant red paint hushed beneath a thick layer of dust, making the plane seem dead. 'No, not dead.' Sonic thought as he approached the machine. 'Just sleeping,.. for now.'

Age had begun to creep in on the machine, as spots of rust were clearly visible on the surfaces of the plane that weren't painted. Sonic was flooded with a feeling of nostalgia as his fingers brushed against the Tornado, leaving streaks of brilliant color through the thick dust. Memories of days past crept into the blue hedgehogs mind, bringing a smile to his tired features. Suddenly he was in another world. Images, thoughts, memories, the wind whipping through his quills, his fingers brushing the clouds as he balanced dangerously on the wings, hurtling through the sky as they narrowly avoided Robotniks' traps, a look of fierce determination in his eyes. He pressed his palm against the smooth metal and wiped it across the tornados symbol, smiling to himself as the dust was cleared from the familiar emblem.

Sonic was brought back to the present at the sound of a metal door being opened. The hollow sound echoed around the room, making Sonic turn as a familiar shape stepped through, his own small steps echoing distantly throughout the room, making him seem so much larger, older somehow.

Sonic smiled as his friend walked over to him, wiping oil absently from his white gloves on his lab coat. "Hey buddy." Sonic tried to keep his voice cheerful, but failed to keep the exhaustion out of his voice. Tails smiled up at Sonic, his face etched with the effects of the sleepless nights spent fighting Robotnik in his most recent campaign.

"Hey Sonic." Tails walked over to his friend, a tired smile plastered acrfoss his face. He looked up at the Tornado and came to a halt , his hands buried in his pockets as he too, became lost in memory. The two friends stared at the plane for many moments, sharing each others company in silence, finally the young fox tore his eyes away and looked over at his speedy friend. Finally he sighed. "Well, we did it."

Sonics' own tired smile turned into a smirk as he turned to regard his friend, his fingers seemingly unable to detach tnemselves from the dusty relic. "Yep, we did it again. Hopefully Ro-butt-nik'll stay down for a while this time."

Tails only nodded in agreement. Sonic noted this wth a little concern, in the old days his young friend would've bust out giggling at Sonic's play on words. 'When did he suddenly grow up?' Sonic already knew the answer, when he joined the fight. Sonic sighed and watched his friends young face as he studied the rusting Tornado, regretting in a way that he had ever let the young fox join him in his fight against the insane Doctor Robotnik. Sure it had been fun in the beginning, exciting, but after a while things started getting dangerous. But Tails had always been a great help to him, never a hindrance. He knew he would have never gotten this far without his friend. Sonic knew they had both changed, his own cocky attitude had been weathered over the years, but not his determination, He always rushed headfirst to stop Robotnik, though nowadays he used a little more caution. The doctor long ago began bending the rules on 'fun', now his traps were just plain dangerous.

Tails finished his inspection of the Tornado and went over to a small desk sitting near the door. The young fox wheeled out the chair and turned around before sitting in it with his arms crossed over the back. "You think we'll ever get rid of Robotnik for good?" Tails placed his head atop his folded arms and closed his eyes, already making plans for the future.

Sonic stared sadly down at his young friend. 'He shouldn't have to worry about things like this, he's just a kid.' Somic's determined smirk returned. "Of Course we will."

Tails lifted his head surprised at Sonic's lighthearted tone. "Really?"

Sonic nodded and went to lean against the desk, dropping the bag over his shoulder and bending over until he was eye level with Tails. "Yeah, I mean eventually he's gotta run outta money right? The guy probably spends a fortune just waxing his stupid moustache!" Then Tails laughed, just a single 'ha', but Sonic knew he had broken through to his friend. Sonic stood, lifting his head and placing one hand behind his back in a perfect mock of Robotnik when he's explain ing his devious plans.

"Once I conquer the world...!"

Tails was amazed at how close Sonic could mimic the insane doctor. He cupped a hand over his mough to stifle his laughter when the blue hedgehog began twisting at his imaginary moustache.

"I will build my marvelous city, Robotnikland, and there I will build factories to make wax for my _Beautiful_ Moustache!"

Tails' cupped hand clenched into a fist and pressed tightly to his lips to keep from laughing out loud.

"So that it will **never be limp**!"

Sonic finished by pointing his finger into the air in a victorious manner, all the while his face a mask of seriousness. It was just too rediculous. Tails sputttered for a moment before the floodages opened. The young fox couldn't hold back any longer. Bouts of laughter echoed around the room as he held his sides, tears already beginning to form in the corners of his eyes.

Sonic turned on him then. "What's this! You think this is a laughing matter, how dare you! I will personally ensure that you will be the one brushing and waxing my moustache until the end of time." Now it really was getting rediculous. Sonic lost it then, his mask cracking until he too was bent double laughing, his hand slapping madly at the desk.

Laughter echoed around the room for several long moments and the two friends continued laughing, longer than either of them could remember ever laughing before.

Finally the laughter subsided, Tails managing to reign it in until he was sitting there with a hand over his mouth, mashing in his mirth.

Sonic smiled and looked at his youg friend. 'There we go, that's the Tails I know.' The blue hedgehog leaned down, once again meeting the young foxs' gaze. "Things are getting way too serious around here. I think we need to blow off a little steam." The blue hedgehog turned to look at the rusty plane. "And I think I know a pretty good way to start."

The young fox turned to regard the plane again, cocking his head to the side as he caught onto Sonic's meaning. "Yeah, it has been a while hasn't it."

Sonic looked over to his young friend. "It's been way too long. We need to get that thing up in the clouds again."

Tails nodded and mentally began piecing together the parts and tools he's need to fiix the plane. Suddenly Sonic's arm wrapped around his neck and pulled him in close to his side, his other hand bunching into a fist and scrubbing across the young fox's scalp.

"Cut that out, I know that look on your face." Sonic released his friend and flicked the chair casually, spinning the young fox wildly around. "For now you need to get some rest little buddy, we'll get started in the morning."

Tails managed to stop himself from spinning and nodded dizzily at his friend. "O-okay Sonic." The young' foxs' gaze dropped to the bag resting against the side of his desk. "Whatcha got there?

The blue hedgehog turned to look at the bag as if he had forgotten about it, (Truth was he had.) "Oh, that? I dunno." Sonic reached down to untie the drawstring and pulled out a round cylinder, capped on both ends and filled with what looked like fine grains of grey sand. "Just somethin' Robotnik was cookin' up." He held it up, watching the sand 'wash' back and forth as he tilted it between his hands. "Check this out!" Sonic balanced the tube on one finger and gave it a casual flick, sending it into a chaotic spin. Instantly the cylinder begn to glow, filling the small room with soft blue light.

"Whoah! That's _waaay_ past cool Sonic!" Tails leaned in until his nose was almost touching the object. "I wonder what it does!"

"I got no Idea, but it was like this when I found it." The two friends watched the mesmerizing lightshow, soaking in the beautiful sight. "It looked important, so I snagged it, and lemme tell ya, ol' Butt-nik was really mad when I took of with it." Sonic placed a hand atop the spinning device, stopping it instantly. Tails watched intently as the grains of sand slowly lost their glow and settled at the bottom of the canister.

"Cool Sonic, hey lemme see it!" Tails reached out his hands to take the device from the hedgehog, but was stopped by his friends upraised palm.

"Nope, now way buddy. Once we get the Tornado up into the air and have a little fun I'll let you take a look at it, but first we need to relax, we've both been working _waay_ too hard."

The young fox hung his head forlornly, looking up at his hero. "_OOOkay_."

"Good, I'm glad you agree." The blue hedgehog tossed the object into the air, then scooped up the bag and caught the mystifying device before it had barely begun it's descent towards the concrete floor. "Get some sleep, Little buddy, I'll see you in the morning"

Before the young fox could reply the metal door was slammed shut and Sonic was nowhere in sight.

Tails sighed audibly as he pulled himself to his feet. "Goodnight Sonic."


	3. Chapter 3 Falling

Chapter three

Falling...

He was falling...

Wind whistled past his head as he fell. He didn't know how long he had been falling, He didn't even know where he was. He only knew the darkness, and the wind.

'This must be _**HELL!**_'

Something was below him, something tangible, he could _feel_ it! Strangely he knew what it was, a place of dying, of death. 'And _IT_ lives there.' He collided with something, his body smashing aginst the unyielding force. 'Strange..' he thought. 'It doesn't hurt.'

He felt himself sliding, the ground scraping, grinding against him, as if trying to save him from his fate, then it let go.

He was falling...

He felt the wind rushing past him once more...

_***BANG***_

His body collided with the ground again, jarring him violently, his one good eye flashing open!

Metal Sonic lay stunned, his programming momentarily restored thanks to his collision. Something floated through his mind, something the Doctor had told him.

"Sometimes, you just have to hit something to make it work, hit it _hard._"

A harsh squeal filtered into his audio circuits before quieting down to a barely audible screech.

"A-aud-d-d-io Sen-sorrzzz At sixt-ty tw-w-wo Percennn-t."

Metals' eye scanned the area, noticing the disjointed limbs and twisted wreckage stacked in haphazard piles all around him. Realization dawned upon him then, this was the Junkyard, this was the end! He turned his head to gaze into the silent faces of his brethren. They stared back with their cold eyes hauntingly, as if they were silently howling their disapproval of his failure. What little he understood about fear gnawed at his mind and crawled into where his gut would be if he were a living creature. He didn't know what was happening to him, he just knew that the faces of the dead robots looking down on him was unpleasant. Metal made a conscious decision to turn off his optics then, preferring instead to sink into the numb embrace of 'sleep mode.'

Darkness, the black void swallows him as his circuits begin to shut down again, bringing him closer to death, He almost finds peace.

'Warning!'

The red flashing against the darkness irritates him, brings him back from death. He emerges just in time to see a small counter appear in the lower corner of his vision. '5:00 until permanent shutdown. Still he keeps his eye 'closed' not wanting to see the faces again. Footsteps approach, the lumbering footfalls of of machines. 'Only they could be so clumsy.' The thought crawled irritably inside his mind like a burrowing insect. The timer ticks down slowly. '4:32 until permanent shutdown' The words flicker underneath the counter to accentuate the fact that it's important. Cold, unfeeling hands lift the damaged machine into the air, roughly tossing him onto a moving conveyor belt.

"N-nOooo... I St-iil-l..." His voice cuts off as the excess power is redirected to his more vital components. Metals' head rolls to the side in defeat and his eye 'opens' again.

Angry red light flashes around him. Black silhouettes twisting and warping in the unpredictable light as Metal felt himself moving towards the unseen source of the hellish glare. He knew where he was headed... After the Junkyard came the funace. The conveyor belt carried him past a hulking mound of twisted steel and leering faces, and then he saw it... The creation Docter Robotnik called 'The Beast.'

Jagged teeth slammed together, closing shut the flaming maw of the creature settled in the center of the pit. Twelve Jointed arms rose spider-like over the many conveyor belts marching towards it's molten gullet. Powerful hands continually tore and shredded the refuse moving towards it, reducing it until it fit though the gaping entrance into the melting furnace. Metal watched as The Beast tore the limbs from one unfortunate 'bot before feeding them one at a time into it's mouth, turning the once useful machine into a molten puddle that dripped and poured eternally into the crucible dangling below it. Suddenly The Beast slows, the shredded remains dangling in one claw like a morsel too big to chew. The Beasts eyes close and the hellish light dims as if to say 'No more.' Metals' conveyor stops too. He watches as the crucible lowers and moves off, pouring into a mold in the floor. The timer in the corner of his vision beeps weakly.

'1:00 left until permanent shutdown'

Metal eyes the sleeping monster coldly as the crucible raises and the conveyor belt beneath him starts up again. The Beast eyes open, it sees him now. The Monsters' hellish gaze lingers on him as it turns to devour another bit of scrap. Metal Sonic watches the timer tick down hopeful that his remaining energy will run out before he comes within reach of the monsters' crushing arms. '0:45, 0:40, 0:38' The beast turns, one huge crushing arm gliding past him with an angry groan as it pulles another helpless corpse into it's mouth. '0:08, 0:05, 0:04, 0:03'. The gnashing hand rotates back over him and stops, his vision darkens. '0:01, 0:00!' Metals' vision blurs and darkens, his mind barely registering the the counter as his audio sensors shut down for the last time. Silence fills his world as his eyes grow dark, he is finally at peace. He is ready now, let the beast take him. Suddenly the world come back, his body salvaging the last bits of power from his vital circuits and the counter ticks back up until it reads '0:12.'

_**'NOOOOOOOOO!'**_

Metal screams silently as The Beasts' claw descends upon him, crushing his body and lifting him into the air. Metals' good eye cracks, splitting the monster before him into more than a hundred grinning evil faces as it draws him near it's hellish jaws. The monsters' jaws open in silence, it's roar mute as it eyes the tiny machine caught in it's claws, it's eyes boring into Metal, scrutinizing the strange morsel. If he would not die peacefully, he would at least die defiant. Metal lifted his gaze and glared int othe twin portals of flame before him, raising his one remaining hand and extending the center digit. 'Fuck YOU' The words echo in Metals' mind as the creature opens it's maw wide to recieve him. The world flickers and dims for the last time for Metal Sonic and he feels himself soaring gracefully through the air, not into the belching maw of the Beast, but onto another conveyor belt, running away from the hellish monster. His mind grows dim and he barely has time to wonder where he's going now.

0:02, 0:01, 0:00.

*Riiiing!*

*Riiiing*

'what? bells?'

*Riiiing*

Tails' eyes slowly creak open as the sound hammers into his sleeping mind.

*Riiiing*

"I hate phones." His words come out in a sleepy mush of sound as he practically threw his arm onto the bedstand, the tired extremity feeling dumbly for the phone.

*Riiiing*

Finally his fingers drop down onto the smooth reciever, knocking it from the hook to dangle sadly at the floor.

Silence, for a moment then a voice comes through, a woman's voice.

"Tails? Are you there?"

The young fox groans and reels in the chord until the reciever is clutched in his hand. He lifts it to his ear and rubs the sleep out of his eyes with his free hand before answering. "Miles Prower repair shop, you break it, I fix it."

The voice on the other end of the line sighed in relief. "Tails, I'm sooooo glad you picked up."

Tails cocked his head, trying to remember where he'd heard the voice before. He sat up straight, trying to force himself to wake up more, hoping a more alert mind would help him match a face with the disembodied voice.

"I'm really sorry to wake you up at this time of night, but I really need your help."

The voice sounded feminine, distressed. The young foxs' ears perked up as he finally remembered the voice. "Amy? Izzat you?"

Amy stood looking up at the twinkling stars, Her breath turning to mist in the cool night air. One hand nervously twirled a stray quill as she tried to think of something to say, she and Tails had never really traded words much, mostly she talked to Sonic. "Yeah..., it's been a while huh?" The young womant turned to look at the retreating railcar as it disappeared into the darkness.

Tails yawned, turning his head to peer at his nightstand. The alarm clock by his bed told him it was a quarter past three. "Uh, yeah, it has been a while, hasn't it." The young fox rubbed the back of his neck nervoulsy, he was never any good at talking to girls, and he always got nervous around Amy. "So uh, Wha-what's up?"

Amy bit her lip and shivered, nervously considering her next words. "I'm kinda,... s-s-stuck." The young woman had tried to keep her teeth from chattering, but failed, her teeth clicking together sharply as she finished her sentence. "And it's getting cold out here."

The distressed tone in Amy's voice pulled the young fox fully awake. "What happened, where are you?" He asked urgenly, his tone edged with concern.

The young woman blushed slightly at his caring tone. She pulled in an icy breath slowly, trying to lessen the heat growing on her cheeks, and held it for a moment, then sighed, watching her frosted breath rise past her face. "I was coming to surprise Sonic. I just got back fom my,... vacation a few hours ago, and I was trying to get to his house before dark, but the train had some kind of mechanical problem on the way there and now I'm stuck at the train station in the middle of nowhere." Amy lowered herself gingerly onto a metal bench, wincing as the frosted metal came in contact with her body. "The Railcar operator said I'm in the mystic ruins. I'm sorry I had to wake you up, but I don't know anyone else to turn to, noone else has a phone." The young woman bowed her head and shivered, watching her toes curl up between the plastic straps of her sandals. 'At least I didn't wear shorts!' "Could you, maybe come get me? Please?" She listened as Tails blew out a sigh of relief, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"For a moment there, I thought you were in real trouble." Tails brushed a hand through his blond hair, pinning back his three stray locks for a moment before letting them spring stubbornly back to dangle in front of his eyes. He heard the young woman shuffle, her teeth chattering softly on the other end of the line.

"Well, it is getting colder."

Tails nodded, already reaching for his coat. He pinned the reciever against his ear with his shoulder and slipped his arms into the sleeves of the heavy coat. "Don't worry Amy, I'm on my way." 'Don't worry, I'm on my way? What am I, a super hero?' He pulled the zipper up to his chin and frowned at his choice of words. 'Stupid!'

Amy drew her free arm tightly around herself in a one armed hug for warmth, her jean jacket proving ineffective against the cold. "Ok then, I'll just wait here, I guess."

Tails tugged on his shoe and hurriedly began tying the laces. "Just try and keep warm, rub your arms or something."

Amy giggled, then shivered alternately. "Ok Tails, I'll see you in a li'l bit, bye."

"Yeah, bye Amy." He heard the familiar 'click' then a dial tone. Tails groaned and lowered the phone onto the hook and brought his other hand up over his eyes. "Rub your arms? I sounded like an idiot." The young fox stood, his head shaking irritably as he made his way down the stairs to his front door.

Long moments passed as the young woman sat on the frosted bench, the pale light from her phone illuminating her beautiful face. Her hopeful expression turned into a sour frown as her battery died, leaving her in the dark, alone, cold, scared. Amy tapped her foot irritably as her eyes roamed around her, every shadow suddenly ten times bigger. "What am I doing?" She said to the darkness. 'I'm not scared, I've seen all kinds of nasty stuff, a little time in the dark doesn't frighten me!' Suddenly the wind picked up, the chill cutting her to the bone through her thin jacket. Her green eyes shifted nervously to settle on a bush beside her as it stirred in the cold breeze. 'Ok, so I **am** scared, that doesn't mean anything is really out there, I mean I'm in the middle of nowhere, there's probably noone around for miles.' Amy looked down at her toes, smiling softly. 'Miles, he's a great guy.' Images of the young fox flooded her mind, memories of Sonic's adorable sidekick, following in his footsteps everywhere, like his shadow. She's hardly recognized his voice when he finally answered, he sounded older. The young woman chuckled at her own stupidity. 'Of course he's older, it's been years since the last time I saw him.' Her face darkened at the memory. The last time she had seen him he was with Sonic, like always. Amy sat up straight, her foot no longer tapping agianst the cold concrete, as her mind reeled backwards. Another chilling breeze swept past the woman, but by then she barely noticed the cold at all.

It had been a terrible fight. She couldn't even remember what it had been about, all she could recall was being angry at him and him being angry at her. Amy remembered her threat though, she told him she was going to leave forever. Sonic scowled and told her to go, that he was tired of being followed all the time, that he was tired of her... so she left, she got on a plane and went as far away as she could. The young woman put her head in her hands, trying to hold back ther tears forming in her green eyes. She hated lyng to Tails, waking him up this late, but she couldn't go to Sonic, not yet. She had to know if he'd even missed her, if he'd talked about her at all. Tails would know, those two were inseperable, they talked about everything. The roar of an engine caused her to lift her head from her hands. She wiped away her tears and sniffed, trying to hide her crying behind a warm smile as the young fox came into view farther down the road.

'You've got to be kidding me!'

The young woman watched as the Tornado trudged slowly down the road and pulled up to her in the moonlight. It seemed different somehow, the colors duller, the engine louder and irregular, as if it were sick. The young woman shut her eyes tightly as a fierce wind bagan to blow, bleeding the warmth from her body as the plane approached. The chilling breeze caused by the blurred prop of the bi-plane kicked up clouds of frost as it passed before her, stinging her emerald eyes. Amy pressed her hands against the sides of her skull in an attempt to drown out the roaring engine as the plane came to a halt. The uncomfortable roar quickly died as Tails flipped of the engine and grinned down at the young woman. "Tails, I think you've lost your mind since the last time I saw you. I mean, driving a plane a night? I seriously thought you would've had a car by now."

The young fox pulled the night vision goggles off of his head and folded his arms over the side the cockpit. "Why? Cars can't fly."

Amy laughed and stood up, still hugging herself tightly against the cold. 'I guess not.' She opened her mouth to say, but the words caught in ther throat as the young fox leapt down and emerged from under the shadow of the plane into the moonlight.

Gone was the boy she remembered, replaced by the young man striding up to her, a warm smile painted on his face as his boots crunched softly through the frosted grass. Towards her!

Strangely she wasn't cold any more.

He wore faded jeans, the many holes and patches telling of wear of the material, not fashionabl repair. Tight t-shirt (She guessed) beneath a heavy green coat, and his trademark sneakers told the tale of a young man who had better things to worry about than how he looked. She wondered vaguely if he was sizing her up as well.

He was! The young fox studied her as he approached, gone was the familiar red dress she was often seen in, now she wore faded jeans and a pink denim jacket, the white t-shirt underneath was a little short, showing off a bare strip of her middriff. Tails rubbed the back of his neck nervously and looked away from the young woman as he came within arms reach of her, breaking the spell. "Man, it really got cold out here, huh?"

Amy suddenly became painfully aware of how thin her shirt was. Immediately she pulled her jacket closed and adjusted her arms to cover her chest, blushing fiercely and hoping Tails had been simply commenting on the weather. "Wow, Tails. When did you get so..." Her voice fell as she struggled for the right word, what did she want to say? 'Cute?, handsome?, tall?' She chuckled weakly and shook her head, clearing her thoughts. 'Try it again girl.' The young woman looked up at the young fox, smiling brightly. "You've changed, Tails." The young fox shrugged and smiled back, his crystal blue eyes meeting hers.

"So have you Amy." Tails looked at the frosted ground shyly and kicked at a small pebble, pretending it's current resting spot bothered him. "You're uh,.. You look good, how's life been treating you?"

The young woman frowned. "Not so good,..."

His head jerked up, the concern on his face as their eyes met warming her heart. A small smile crept onto his face, his blue eyes heavy and sad. Amy looked closely at him, only now noticing his worn features, the exhausted slump of his shoulders. Now it was Amys' turn to be concerned.

"What happened?"

Tails scrubbed the back of his neck with one hand and grimaced, looking into the night sky as if searching for a beginning to his story among the stars. "Listen Amy, it's kinda late, and a lot of stuffs' been happening lately, you mind of we go back to my place and talk?"

Amy smiled at her friend. "Actually, I was about to ask if you had a couch."

The young fox looked at her, confused. An innocent look that made her believe he _was_ just commenting on the weather earlier.

"That I could sleep on?"

Realization hit him, and Tails mentally slaped himself. "Oh, um yeah, sure." He chuckled weakly and grinned sheepishly to the young woman. "Hop in, I've got some coffee brewing back at the shop."

Amy shivered slightly as she approached the plane. "Great, where do I sit?"

Tails looked up at the plane, scratching his chin thoughfully. "I didn't think of that, usually Sonic just hangs onto the wings." He turned to see Amy staring at him with a horrified look. "Yeah, no, scratch that, it's too cold." The young fox turned to look at the plane again and sighed. "Well, you could always sit on my lap I guess." Tails laughed palyfully, meaning his last statement as a joke.

"Okay."

The young fox turned, stunned to look at Amy, his mouth hanging wide open. "Wha- really? I.., er.., umm."

Amy laughed at his slackjawed expression. "C'mon Tails, we're not exactly strangers." The young woman walked past him, her fingers ruffling his hair playfully. "C'mon Kiddo, let's go." She put on a brave face, but inside her stomach was tying itself in knots. 'Butterflies' she thought. 'Relax, it's just Tails, we've known each other forever right?' The thought untightened the knot in her gut, but in the back of her mind she knew she her face was going to be red the entire trip.

Tails walked over to the single seat and leapt up onto the plane in one swift motion, then turned and nervously offered his hand to the young woman.

Amy pressed her slender hand into the young fox's larger one and felt a slight heat already creeping up her face. She smiled bravely up into his crystal blue eyes and reached up, meaning to grasp the side of the seat and lift herself up. To her surprise however, she felt herself floating as Tails lifted her effortlessly up beside him. 'This is going to be harder than I thought.'

"I hope you don't mind Amy"

The young woman turned to look at her friend strangely, then yelped as she was lifted, bridal style into the the arms of her young friend. Some small part of her mind wanted to protest, but the moment passed before she knew what was happening. Then Tails took three steps along the length of the plane and dropped down into the seat in one fluid motion. "You're quite graceful Miles."

Now it was the young fox's turn to blush. He tried to hide his fidgeting as best he could, busying himself with the controls. "Easy Amy, I'm not enjoying this any more than you are."

Deep down inside though, she **did** enjoy it, and she thought her young friend was enjoying himself as well, despite his words. 'I need to end this quickly, once we get to his shop then that's it, that's the end of all this silly nonsense.' It was strange, but being in Tails' arms reminded her of the times when Sonic used to hold her close. The engine stirred to life and Amy buried her head in her young friends chest, stifling back a sob as wave of loneliness washed over her. She missed him so much, how foolish this all seemed, laying in the fox's lap, when it should be Sonic holding her. The engine became a dull buzz as Tails turned them back and slowly guided the plane down the small road back home.

Something warm touched her shoulder, shaking her gently.

"Hmm?... wha?"

The warm something shook her again and she opened her eyes slowly, the young face of her friend greeting her with his crystal blue eyes and warm smile. She smiled back, turning over to see a small steaming cup setting on the table near her head.

"Good to see you're awake." Tails leaned back in the small rolling chair he had abducted from the shop, the cheap material creaking slightly under his weight. "I think we have a lot of catching up to do."

The young woman sat up and stretched, felling stiff al of a sudden. "How long have I been asleep?"

The young fox took a long slow sip from the mug in his hands before answering. "About twenty minutes. You slept the whole way here, and then a little more while I made coffee."

The young woman rubbed her eyes groggily and lifted the cup to her lips, absently brushing her quills back behind her ear with one hand. "What's happened while I was,.. gone?" She turned to see her friend staring darkly into his coffe, his eyes suddenly hard.

"Robotnik mostly." He looked up to see her confused look. "He really started becoming a problem about a year after you left. At first, it was like it was in the beginning, just Sonic and me tangling with the Doctor." Tails shook his head. "But after a while, things started getting dangerous. Robotnik's not playing around anymore, he's playing for keeps these days." He sipped his coffe and looked into her green eyes. "We put him down again, for the moment, but he'll be back." Tails sighed and cradled the coffe mug gently, staring once more into it's murky depths. "He always comes back."

Amy reached out and placed her hand on the fox's arm. He turned to look at her and she saw now what had changed in him. He was no longer a carefree child following his hero, he was man, burdened by the worries of a lifetime of struggle. 'How long had they been fighting Robotnik?' She wondered.

Tails smiled weakly and patted her arm before standing and walking toward the kitchen. "Are you hungry? I make a mean sandwich!"

Amy chuckled, amazed at how he could go through so much and still be so quick to joke about everything. She got up to follow him, her eyes downcast. "Listen Tails." he turned and watched her as she slunk into a chair at the dining table. "I wanna talk about Sonic." Tails nodded slowly and sipped his coffe.

"You're wondering if he still thinks about you, right?"

The young woman nodded weakly and looked up to her friend. "How did you know?"

Tails shrugged. "We're not exactly strangers, Amy."

She nodded, silently swirling the coffe in her mug. The silence stretched on, both of them lost in thought. Finally Tails spoke.

"He misses you."

She looked up at her friend, her eyes wet.

"He doesn't talk about you or anything, but you can tell he thinks about you."

Amy wiped her eyes, smiling. "Thank you Tails, I needed to hear that."

The young fox shrugged again. "Anytime Amy, that's why you came out here for right?"

The young woman hung her head, slightly ashamed. "So you knew I was lying when I said I was stuck out there, in the dark?"

Tails nodded. "Remember Amy, I'm the guy who can make a bomb outta some shoelaces and a can of sardines."

Amy sniffed and wiped her eyes, trying her best to geve the young fox a warm smile. "You've got to tell me the story about that someday."

Tails shook his head, suddenly serious. "No, that's a secret."

Too serious..

Amy laughed then, Soon Tails joined in, their voices filling the room like a warm light. The young woman giggled for what seemed like an eternity, her mind more at ease than it had been in a long, long time. "It's good to be home Tails."

The young fox finished his coffe and set the empty mug in the sink. "Sonic and me are supposed to work on the Tornado tomorrow, we've been thinking about taking a little vacation ourselves." Tails patted the young woman's shoulder as he walked past her, heading toward the stairs. "You guys probably need to talk, so I'm gona go ahead and sleep in a bit, give you guys some room."

Amy turned to look at her friends back, dissappearing up the stairs and out of sight. "Thank you, Tails."


	4. Chapter 4 Rekindling the flames

Chapter four.

Rekindling the flames...

Dr. Robotnik stood gazing up at a huge computer screen affixed to the wall before him, his face illuminated in pale green light, making him look older, sick even. But it was a trick of the light. The only thing sick about the Doctor was his lust for power and disregard for innocent life. The man looked tired. Smears of ash and dirt stained his once vibrant red coat, the ends ragged and frayed. His moustache, once sleek and well groomed now wild and untamed, like the bristles of a wild animal. The gears turned slowly in the man's head, going over his plan for maybe the hundredth time as he waited. Displayed on the screen was a map of his curent base of operations, now almost totally decimated. Well over eighty percent of the holographic screen was outlined in red, indicating severe damage. Robotnik frowned as he recalled the flames rising from his artificial city of steel and concrete.

Gone.

All the man's hard work had gone up in smoke and flame when the Hedgehog charged into the city's power plant, sabotaging it. That was when he'd dispatched Metal Sonic. It was a desperate plan, he knew his creation was no match for the speedy blue animal infiltrating his maze-like city. Metal was merely meant to be a diversion, a distraction as the mad doctor escaped into his underground safe room. Still, Robotnik was surprised at how effective his machine had been, going toe-to-toe with his rival for several minutes until he had been caught up in the blast and nearly destroyed. His programming was slow and outdated, the technology used to make him, crude compared to his current abilities. Robotnik had advanced his technological skills considerably since he'd put the Metal clone into storage nearly a decade ago, and now it was time to rebuild, to improve.

As if on cue, a small hatch opened behind the doctor. A conveyor belt running the length of the room carried the remains of Metal Sonic and deposited him onto a platform in the center of the chamber. His body landed with a crash, looking like a broken toy, discarded by a child after it was tired of him. Several more parts landed atop the Doctor's creation, scraps of metal, loose wires, and discarded servo motors were piled upon the damaged Metal Sonic. It wan't much, but..,

It was all the Doctor had left to give him!

Robotnik blew out a long sigh and placed his hands upon the holographic display, tapping the screen once, then again listening absently as the plexiglass tube slid into place with a soft hiss around the discarded pile of robotic equipment. 'No.' He thought bitterly, it was less than that, it was Junk. Anger flared in the Doctor's mind, blinding him in a sea of red hate. His fists clenched atop the display, then opened slowly, the doctor once more in control of his thoughts.

There was no time for emotions, he had to be careful, Metal Sonic was his last option! The Doctor slipped his hands into a pair of gloves connected to the monitor. Robotnik then turned to look into the pelxiglass chamber and flexed his hands slowly as two robotic arms descended from the ceiling, moving carefully toward the floor. Gingerly the man manipulated the robotic hands and lifted the bulk of his creation into the air suspending the machine by what remained of his arms.

"Let us Begin!"

Noone replied to the doctors words as he slipped the gloves off and placed them back onto the console. The man waved away the map and brought up the controls for the Nanobot Chamber, the complex machine setting in the center of the room. He watched as a line of text appeared and scrolled down the monitor as the machine powered on. A low hum filled the chamber, increasing in pitch slowly as the diagnostics and preliminary subroutines were completed.

All was in place, everything was ready.

Robotnik slowly brought his hand up to the monitor, his finger hovering over the amber button, the one labeled, 'Initiate.' The doctor hesitated, turning to look at the machine suspended inside the chamber. The man pulled away from the holographic monitor and strode over to the machine, his nose nearly touching the smooth plexiglass. Metal was the Doctor's finest creation, fast, determined, intellgent. It was odd, but Robotnik felt a sense of loss at the thought of losing this particular machine. Some emotion tied the him to his creation. That was partly why he had kept Metal Sonic in storage for all these years instead of recycling him.

Robotnik didn't keep failures.

And yet, Metal Sonic wasn't a failure, he was more like a trophy, displaying all of the Doctors' greatest technological accomplishments. At the time of his birth, he had been the pinnacle of Robotnik's creations. Somehow he was different from the other robots. It was something the Doctor couldn't put his finger on. He just hoped whatever made Metal Sonic special carried over into whatever stepped out of the Nanobot Chamber. Robotnik took a deep breath and turned away, absenly fishing a hand into his pocket to pet the marvelous crystal nestled within. The man slid the Chaos emerald from it's resting place and gazed longingly into it's azure depths. The Emerald was his trump card, he knew But Metal Sonic had to be at his best. The Doctor was well aware of the fact, bit it was so rare for the doctor to acquire even a single one of the emeralds, he just wanted to hold onto it a little longer. Finally the moment passed, the Doctor moving over to a second, smaller tube. The man romoved the lid and dropped the emerald inside, the glistening crystal falling to rest in a pile of greyish sand. With the lid closed, Robotnik turned once more to the remains of his creation.

"Initiate!" His words were harsh, bitter, his mind reflecting upon all the grief the blue hegehog had caused him in the last several years. The button on the console depressed, sending ripples of amber across the glowing surface of the display. Robotnik watched as two magnetic rods slid down from the ceiling, one on either side of the plexiglass tube. The refuse littering the bottom of the small chamber rattled and slithered towards the rods, as if they had a life of their own, then the rods began to rotate around the chamber, slowly, dragging the scrap around the bottom of the chamber in sluggish circles. The rods sped up, now moving faster, bringing the discarded machinery into the air to hover around Metal Sonic in a storm of colliding steel and rusted metal. By now the rods were a blur, spinning madly around the tube. Metal Sonic's head moved side to side, as if being struck as bits of scrap collided with his face.

"Phase two ready Doctor." A monotone, slightly feminine voice called out.

Doctor Robotnik nodded his head, his face tight in anticipation. "Initiate Phase two Computer." The man watched as the sand in the smaller tube was siphoned into the larger plexiglass chamber, the Chaos emerald rattling stubbornly before being drug along behind. The grey particles flowed into the chamber, rising and swirling as it was caught up in the tornado of magnetic debris. The doctor watched as the storm swirled and devoured his creation.

"This is my only chance, I have to get this right." The doctor whispered harshly, his face tensely watching the swirling chaos in the chamber. His city had been broken, the assembly lines destroyed. Everything was gone, everything but this one room, and the beast in the bowels of the city, gorging itself on the remains of his once mighty army. The thing was buried too deep to be affected by the blast. As precious scraps of power was being drawn from the auxilliary systems of the facitily he gazed into the storm, his nerves raw with anticipation as his experimental Nanomachines crowded over his last hope.

The storm inside was chaotic, bits of discarded materials emerged in brief flashes of rust and colored plastic as the storm inside raged on. The doctor watched the emerald finally emerge into the chamber, dropping into the tornado of steel like a tear from heaven. Suddenly electricity arced through the storm, igniting it in a flash of power. The sand began to glow, turning from dull grey particles into a soft blue light. More artificial lightning struck the chamber, each one lighting the room in a maddening display of pure light as the Emerald flashed, it's power radiating throughout the chaotic hurricane of creation. Slowly, the pieces in the storm began to dissappear as the glowing particles, the nanomachines, did their work. In mere moments everything in the storm would be broken down and reassembled, the refuse serving as raw materials used to reconstruct his newest Machine.

The rods disengaged and slowed, the magnets turned off. For a moment the nanomachines remained suspended in the air, as if floating of their own accord. 'Beautiful' The doctor thought. The glowing particles slowly descended, following the lingering trails of magnetic energy as the rods came to a complete stop and rose into the ceiling. Robotnik gasped in amazement, watching as his newest creation emerged from the gently swirling storm of light.

A jolt shot through his shattered body, a pillar of lighting so powerful he thought he would be blasted apart and carried along in the wake of the storm. Light poured into his mind, slamming into the back of his skull and filling him faster than he could absorb it, spilling out in glowing rivers that trailed down his face like fiery tears to be absorbed into his skin.

_It was too much!_

He felt his body twitch and convulse of it's own accord, felt pieces of himself tearing away to join in the storm barreling straight into his mind. He tried to scream, tried to get away from the light burning throughout his body. Finally it stopped, the overpowering force becoming a narrow trickle dripping down his empty sockets to land on his tongue, the droplets tasting sweeter than anything he could imagine.

He jerked as images began to form in his mind. A streak of color, he remembered vaguely somehow. The images repeated in his mind, over and over, each time slowing down, revealing more and more details about what he was seeing. Finally he remembered, the flash of blue, the force of the creature as it barreled into him, knocking him away like a toy.

_"SONIC"_

The word was a roar clenched behind metallic fangs that gnashed uncontrollably.

He remembered everything now!

Fire raced up his arms, his legs, burning him and boring into his chest, cascading into his very core and filling him entirely. It was strange, unfamiliar, he wasn't use to feeling things, both physically or emotionally, yet here it was, carrying him in it's fiery embrace. He knew what this feeling was, not a literal fire burning at his body, but one eating at his insides, devouring his mind until nothing remained but glowing ash, yes, he knew this feeling well. It was something he had discovered a long time ago...

_**HATE!**_

Suddenly Static filled his ears, pounding inside his head like a caged beast trying to get out. He threw back his head and grimaced as sight came back, digital snow filling his eyes as his body shuddered, the last bits of himself being reconstructed.

'He was coming back!'

Something let him go, and he felt himself falling...

But this time he landed on his feet.

Metal's eyes burned, twin lamps of hate peering though a plexiglass wall at a vague shape. He recognized the human, Doctor Robotnik, his creator. Images of the doctor kicking him into the black pit rose in his mind as his functions returned to full operation, replaying his last moments before his 'death'. Yes, he remembered everything.

The plexiglass tube withdrew into the floor, the Doctor studying his creation in tense silence. "Metal Sonic, run a diagnostic scan on your systems."

Metal Sonic stood silently, numbers sliding past his eyes. "Diagnostic complete, Metal Sonic is fully operational." The robot was silent for a moment, then contiued. "Scans show new hardware detected."

Robotnik smiled, his teeth flashing in the low light of the room. "Excellent."

"Warning, six terabytes of unknown data have been downloaded, estimated processing time,... twelve hours."

Robotnik suddenly frowned. 'Six terabytes? The new programming was supposed to be only half that size.'

The machine reached his hands up to clutch a the sides of his head, his eyes sliding closed, as if he were in pain. Things he had never felt before crowded inside his mind, numbing it like a heavy drug. His robotic brain was still trying to proccess and categorize the Enormous amount of new information. He would need to devote much time to this chore, but not right now, first he had questions for his creator. His limbs felt heavy, sluggish, his feet like lead weights as he stepped over to stand before his Creator. "Doctor, I am,... Different." The machine looked down at his new body, his cold eyes scanning his smooth, streamlined chassis. His eyes closed again as the numbness in his mind returned. Metal groaned softly, his hands returning to his temples.

"I have remade you. My prototype Nanomachines worked flawlessly, it seems." The doctor leaned down, inspecting the machine closely. "You seem to be having,... difficulties. Are you sure you're fully operational?"

Metal growled irritably, his mind overloading for a moment as he registered the doctor's words. "Operating systems are working at full potential. My internal processors are overheating from the strain of organizing new data." The robot opened his eyes to look up at his creator, a look of confusion etched into his steely features. "My mind is,... weary, Doctor. I am,... tired."

Robotnik eyed the robot suspiciously, his eyes narrowing until they were little more than slits behind his glasses. One gloved hand rose to stroke at his bristling moustache. "Preposterous, Machines do not get tired, Run a diagnostic scan again."

"No." The word hissed from between the machines teeth menacingly.

The Mad Doctors' jaw clenched, his eyes suddenly hard, the hand tugging at his moustache stopped. "No?" Robotnik attempted to control his rapid breathing, sweat beading on his bald head as his only hope seemingly turned against him. Something was wrong, his creation had refused a command. The doctors' hand slipped carefully into his pocket to rest on the small remote he carried, one long digit tracing the large button near the bottom. "I have remade you, a hundred times more powerful than before. I've given you one final chance, Metal, and this is how you repay me?" His voice was a venomous hiss, his panic bleeding over into his words. "If you will not heed my commands, then what use are you?"

The machine followed the doctors moevments with emotionless eyes, his sensors detecthing the small device hidden in his creators pocket. The robot knew what it would do to him. Metal gazed up, his cold eyes boring into the Doctors cracked lenses, the mans eyes nervous behind the nearly shattered blue glass. "Your command was redundant, I have already run a diagnostic scan of my programming. All systems are running at full potential, but my processors are still trying to categorize the six terabytes of new data slowing down my systems. I become more intelligent with every passing moment Doctor Robotnik. Already I have become self aware, my programming expanding even as we speak." The robot turned to study the room, eying the destruction evident even this deep in the guts of the city. "I am all you have left Doctor, it would be unwise to destroy me." The machine studied the mad Doctor, fear evident on his bristled face. Metal knew he was right.

The Man licked his lips, his finger tracing the button in his pocket. A single question burned in his mind, a question he needed answered immediately. "Metal Sonic,.."

"I think just Metal will do, doctor."

Robotnik frowned, worried at the machines increased intelligence. 'I didn't plan on this happening.' The mad doctor inhaled a deep breath, then lt it out slowly. "Am I your master, or your enemy?"

The cold voice of the machine cut into his soul, uttering a reply even he couldn't have guessed.

"Neither doctor."

Hot anger filled the doctor's mind, his face turning a dark shade of purple as he leaned down, his nose nearly touching his creation. "_**THEN WHAT AM I?**_"

Metal Sonic remained silent for a long moment, his eyes downcast as he sought an answer. Only one word in his entire library of knowledge rose in his mind to settle before his internal question. Metal looked up at his creator, a strange expression spreading across his normally cold features. He was smiling.

"You are my Father."

"Tails!"

The sound of a door slamming brought the young woman back from the warm embrace of sleep. For a moment she wondered where she was, then the previous nights events came rushing back in a flood of realization. She had fallen asleep, slumped over on the kitchen table. The young woman rubbed her eyes as footsteps approached.

"Tails, buddy! Where are 'ya?"

Amy felt her heart stop, she knew that voice. Sonic was here! The young woman glanced around nervously, her nerves on the edge of panic as she ran her fingers through her hair and adjusted her jacket. 'Oh god, I haven't seen him in eight years. What's he going to think of me, sitting here like this, I'm probably a mess.' Amy nearly leapt out of her skin as her blue hero marched into the kitchen, completely oblivious to her presence. Her eyes followed him, fastened to the man she loved like he was all she could see. She watched him in dumb silence as he stood, one hand thrust into his pocket and glaring at the ceiling grumbling softly to himself.

"Tails, c'mon buddy, we gotta to get started while it's still early!"

His voice shattered the spell. Amy took a deep breath, held it in, let it out.

"Hello, Sonic."

The blue hedgehog froze, the musical tone of the voice stopping him dead in his tracks. Sonic turned, the sack slung over his shoulder sliding slowly to the floor, forgotten as his hands went numb.

There she was!

His knees felt weak, as if his bones had somehow been replaced with rubber. His entire body felt hot, his nerves suddenly ragged. The blue hedgehog stared, his mind numbed from shock. Sonic used to think about this moment, wondering what he would say to her, if she ever came back. For the first few years, she was all he could think about.

At first his thoughts had been bitter, his imagined words filled with venom, to push his hurt back onto the young woman who left him. His anger faded in time though when he realized how much he really missed her. His words becoming much gentler, his tone, pleading for her to stay. He had often thought about the things he did say, the things he wished he could take back.

After the third year of waiting, he had finally given up hope, realizing she wouldn't be coming back. The Blue Hedgehog accepted it with a sad heart and turned his eyes towards what remained of his friends, they needed him, and he couldn't afford to be distracted from his battles with the Mad Doctor. Sonic pushed the young woman out of his mind and faked a smile for his friends, throwing himself head on into the oncoming battles.

Now he turned his eyes back, staring into the young woman's emerald gaze. Sonic felt his mouth hanging open and quickly shut it. An uncomfortable silence stretched on, neither quite knowing what to say.

Amy broke her eyes away to look sheepishly down at the table, her hands nervously tracing circles in the polished wood. "So,.. uh,.." The young woman began weakly. Her foot began fidgeting nervously, sliding back and forth across the smooth tile in Tails' kitchen. A confusing blend of emotions filled her head. 'Dammit Amy, say something! You've been waiting for this for eight years.' The young woman lifted her head and smiled warmly at the man she had crushed on when she was a younger woman, every thought in her head telling her too keep looking at her hands.

Sonic didn't smile back, his face taking on an edge she had never seen before. Still she pushed on.

"H-how have things been?" She asked, trying desperately to keep her smile from slipping as she looked into the face of her old flame.

Sonic leaned back against the counter, his shock having long since passed. The blue hedgehog closed his eyes, his arms coming up to cross over his chest. "I thought you weren't coming back." His voice was low, nearly a whisper.

The young woman's smile faltered, becoming a disappointed frown. She glanced down at her hands nervously. 'What? Were you expecting him to hold you in his arms, professing his undying love for you, and promise that everything was going to be alright?' Amy shook her head and sighed. "I didn't think I would either."

"Then why did you?"

Amy looked up, surprised. Her eyes met Sonic's hard gaze and inwardly she screamed at herself for coming back. The young woman stood, her eyes growing wet as she strode over to the Blue Hedgehog. He looked like he was about to say something, but she stopped him. Before she could even think, her hand raced up to slap him across his face, turning his cold edged look into one of complete surprise.

"I don't know anymore, Sonic."

Sonic watched, stunned as she turned and headed for the front door.

Amy reached for the knob but stopped, feeling Sonic's strong hand wrap around her wrist. She turned, scowling at the man. "Let me go!"

Sonic shook his head. "No."

Amy reached back to slap him once more, but he was too quick, his hand blurring to catch hers mid-strike. The next thing she knew her face was buried in Sonic's chest, his strong arms wrapped tightly around her. She struggled for a moment, her anger building up, wanting to lash out at the blue Hedgehog.

"Please, Amy, I didn't,.."

"Let me _**GO**_"

Sonic sighed, tickling her cheek with his warm breath, her hands pounding uselessly against his chest.

"I'm Sorry, Amy."

The man's arms pulled her tighter against him and she lowered her head, her anger defeated. Long moments passed, the silence broken only by the thundering heartbeat in her ear. It was a comforting sound, something she'd missed. She listened to it for a long time, her own heart fluttering madly as a deep blush warmed her face. Suddenly the strong arms were gone. Amy took a step back, looking up into the face of her former love. Gone was the hard edge that had been living there, replaced by a smile that made her heart jump into her throat.

Sonic ran his hands through his hair and blew out a long sigh. "Sorry, things have been getting pretty heavy around here, Amy." Her name sounded sweet, like a happy memory long forgotten. It had been so long since he'd even said her name out loud. "So, uh how have things been for you? You must've seen some crazy stuff out there."

The young woman looked away and rubbed her arm nervously. "Yeah, I've done a lot of traveling actually."

*Creak*

The two hedgehogs turned, startled to see Tails trudging down the stairs, rubbing his eyes and yawning loudly. "Mornin Sonic, Mornin Amy." The young fox walked into the kitchen, turning immediately for the coffee pot. He yawned sleepily as he poured the coffee into three mugs, then turned and slipped into a seat at the small table, breathing in the rich aroma steaming form his mug. Sonic glanced at Amy for a moment before joining his friend. "Mornin buddy, sleep well?"

Tails grunted and sipped his coffee. "Not really."

Amy plopped down and gripped her own mug, taking an experimental taste. "No offense Tails, but you kinda remind me of those zombies in old tv shows right now."

The young fox dipped his fingers in his coffe and flicked the warm droplets at the young woman. "Peh, it's your fault y'know, calling me at three in the morning." Tails finished with an enormous yawn.

Amy noted Sonics' confused look. "Well, it's not my fault the train broke down and stranded me out in the cold." The young woman busied herself with stirring sugar into her coffee, hoping the young fox would play along.

Tails merely nodded and sipped his coffee, much to the young woman's relief.

The blue blur lifted his own mug and swallowed the bitter brew in a single gulp, heedless to the scalding burn as it slammed down into his stomach. Sonic set down his mug and stood. "C'mon guys, we gotta get started, I can taste the wind already!"

Tails watched his friend dissappear in a streak of blue color. The young fox groaned. "I shouldn't have given him coffee."


End file.
